What Goes on a Tennessee Pay Stub
A Tennessee pay stub carries only federal tax lines: federal income tax driven by the W-4, Social Security at 6.2 percent up to the $184,500 wage base, and Medicare at 1.45 percent. There is no state withholding on wages, and there has not been any investment-income tax either since the Hall tax was fully repealed in 2021.
Below the federal taxes come the deductions that actually differ between workers: health insurance, dental, vision, 401(k) contributions, and any other voluntary amounts. A musician in Nashville and a logistics worker in Memphis see the same tax structure, with net pay landing higher than the same salary would produce across the border in a taxing state.
Tennessee Withholding Rules: Forms and Allowances
There is no Tennessee withholding form because there is no wage tax to withhold. New hires complete the federal W-4 and nothing else for state purposes, and employers maintain no state withholding tables.
Tennessee instead leans on sales tax, which is among the highest combined rates in the country, to fund state government. That trade-off never appears on a pay stub, which is exactly why Tennessee stubs look so clean: the tax bite happens at the register, not on payday.
Payday and Final Paycheck Rules in Tennessee
Tennessee requires employers to pay workers at least semimonthly on regular paydays. Biweekly is the dominant schedule in practice, from Knoxville offices to Chattanooga plants.
Final paychecks follow an unusual whichever-is-later rule: within 21 days or by the next regular payday, whichever comes later, whether the worker quit or was fired. That gives employers more breathing room than most states allow, so a departing worker in Clarksville should calendar the later of those two dates.
Are Itemized Pay Stubs Required in Tennessee?
No. Tennessee is one of nine states with no law requiring employers to provide pay stubs. The practical effect is that many Tennessee workers only discover they need a stub when a landlord or auto lender asks for proof of income. Generating your own itemized record with the tool above solves that on the spot, and keeping one per payday builds a complete income history.
Example: A $58,000 Pay Stub in Nashville, Tennessee
Picture a single filer in Nashville earning $58,000 a year on a biweekly schedule. The stub is all federal taxes plus benefits:
| Item | Annual Amount |
| Gross Pay | $58,000.00 |
| Federal Income Tax (approx) | ~$4,790.00 |
| Social Security (6.2%) | $3,596.00 |
| Medicare (1.45%) | $841.00 |
| Tennessee income tax on wages | $0.00 |
| Net Annual Pay | ~$48,773.00 |
That comes to about $1,875.88 of net pay per biweekly check. Since Tennessee employers are not required to issue stubs, saving a generated copy each payday builds the income history that lenders want to see.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Tennessee tax wages?
No. Tennessee does not tax wage income. The Hall tax on interest and dividends was fully repealed in 2021, leaving wages completely untaxed at the state level.
Are pay stubs required in Tennessee?
No. Tennessee is one of nine states with no pay stub requirement. Most employers still provide them, but it is not legally required.
How often must Tennessee employers pay workers?
At least semimonthly, on regular paydays.
When is my final paycheck due in Tennessee?
Within 21 days or by the next regular payday, whichever is later, whether you quit or were terminated.
How do I get a pay stub in Tennessee if my employer does not give me one?
Use the generator above: enter your gross pay, pay frequency, and deductions to produce a clean, itemized record you can save or print.
Related Tools
Build your stub with the free Pay Stub Generator and check it against the Tennessee Paycheck Calculator. For a taxing-state contrast, run the same salary through a South Carolina pay stub or a Texas pay stub.
Sources: TN Department of Revenue, TN Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Figures reviewed for 2026. This generator provides an estimate for planning purposes and is not tax advice.